Cow heel soup takes time, but most of it is the pot doing the work. The cow heel (cow foot) simmers until the meat and skin are soft and sticky, and that gelatin, with split peas and pumpkin that break down as they cook, gives the soup its body.
Ask the butcher to cut the cow heel into pieces for you; it needs a saw. Clean it well with lime before seasoning.
A pressure cooker cuts the long first simmer down to under an hour; the notes explain how.
The recipe
Cow Heel Soup
Prep
30 min
Cook
3 hr 30 min
Seasoning the meat
30 min
Total
4 hr 30 min
Serves
6
Times and quantities are our best estimates. This recipe is still being kitchen-tested, so trust your eyes and taste as you go.
Servings
Ingredient amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pot size may need adjusting too.
Ingredients
Tick items off as you gather them.
For the cow heel
For the soup
For the dumplings
Method
Clean and season the cow heel
Rinse the pieces in cold water. Rub them with the cut lime, scrape away any hairs or loose bits, and rinse again.
Rub in the green seasoning and salt, and leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
Simmer until tender
Put the cow heel and its seasoning in a large, heavy pot with 8 cups (1.9 litres) of the water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
Cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, until the meat and skin are very soft and pull away from the bones. Top up with water as it reduces, so the pieces stay covered.
Build the soup
Add the split peas, onion, garlic, pimento peppers, celery, scallions, thyme and the rest of the water. Simmer for 30 minutes, until the split peas are soft.
Add the pumpkin, carrots, dasheen and green fig and simmer for 15 minutes.
Make the dumplings
While the provisions cook, mix the flour and salt, then add the water a little at a time to make a firm dough. Knead for 1 minute and rest for 10 minutes.
Pinch off small pieces and roll each between your palms into a thin log about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long.
Drop the dumplings into the pot with the whole pepper. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and the pumpkin has started to break down into the soup.
Taste and add salt and black pepper. Lift out the pepper without bursting it, stir in the chadon beni and serve hot.
Serve it with
Pepper sauce and a squeeze of lime at the table
Substitutions
Pressure cooker: cook the seasoned cow heel with 6 cups (1.4 litres) water at high pressure for 45 to 50 minutes, release, then carry on from Build the soup.
Provisions: yam, cassava or potatoes work; add cassava with the split peas, as it takes longer.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerate in a covered container and eat within 3 days. It sets to a jelly when cold; that is the gelatin from the cow heel.
Reheat gently with a splash of water until piping hot all the way through.
Cook's notes
The soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If it is thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes; if it is too thick, add hot water.
Some cooks add a few pieces of salted pigtail with the split peas for extra savour.
